4 minutes ago, Stocky said:

BTW those city population numbers are only part of the picture. Hat Yai for example, the figure of 157K is for Mueang Hat Yai, but the city in reality includes several adjoining districts; Khuan Lang, Kho Hong, Klong Hae, Ta Chang, Ban Phru. So the actual population of greater Hat Yai is closer to 400k. The same is true of Chiang Mai, Korat etc. 

Agree, those numbers are silly.  Udon Thani for instance had about 500k back in 2015.   The stat only includes 1 or 3 districts; Mak Khaeng (140k+) and parts of Nong Bua and Nong Khon Kwang

14 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Agree, those numbers are silly.  Udon Thani for instance had about 500k back in 2015.   The stat only includes 1 or 3 districts; Mak Khaeng (140k+) and parts of Nong Bua and Nong Khon Kwang

Inner city only.

1 hour ago, Expat68 said:

Must be somewhere near where I was born also

Guisborough....then lived in Stainsacre, Sleights and Goathland

3 hours ago, Lemsta69 said:

LOL. are you #Bangkok4Lyf? I'm living here now (Lumphini) and loving every minute of it. but if/when I get bored with it I'll just ask Sparky if I can sleep on his couch for a bit.

 

by the time he finally gets his RS into gear any gets over here he'll know THE perfect place to live. 

 

c'mon Sparks mate, book that damn one-way ticket already! ????

U shout the beers

First city i visited in Thailand was Udon Thani. Been here for 14 years, when not in the UK. has everything i need - cheap housing with a garden, airport, train station, good coach connections, choice of hospitals, several farang food specialists, good parks, some good schools that do not cost the earth, and can get to anywhere in the city in 20 minutes (traffic permitting). Also substantial expat population (mainly retirees). Air quality moderate - did buy an air purifier but only used twice in the last 2 years. Oh, and plenty of fishing.

1 hour ago, rickudon said:

First city i visited in Thailand was Udon Thani. Been here for 14 years

If choosing a 'metro' area N of Krung Thep, UT is pretty hard to beat.  Does have a good mix of all things.  Yet to find a better night market area in all of Thailand.

 

Can live 15 minutes off the ring rd, and you'd never know the metro is there, with all the good & bad of any metro area.

24 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

If choosing a 'metro' area N of Krung Thep, UT is pretty hard to beat.  Does have a good mix of all things.  Yet to find a better night market area in all of Thailand.

 

Can live 15 minutes off the ring rd, and you'd never know the metro is there, with all the good & bad of any metro area.

Yes, i live just 3 minutes outside the ring road, still get that 'village' feel, although getting a bit suburban these days. Still have our rice field, orchard and fishing ponds just 200 metres away!

2 hours ago, rickudon said:

Yes, i live just 3 minutes outside the ring road, still get that 'village' feel, although getting a bit suburban these days. Still have our rice field, orchard and fishing ponds just 200 metres away!

Be thrre in 2 weeks

5 hours ago, rickudon said:

Yes, i live just 3 minutes outside the ring road, still get that 'village' feel, although getting a bit suburban these days. Still have our rice field, orchard and fishing ponds just 200 metres away!

are there social groups that are not only about drinking?

 

You fail to inform what parameters they based the results on

 

Below is the list of 35 best cities to live and work in Thailand for singles and families ranked by quality & cost of living

 

 

What is best for the average retired expat might differ from your needs. 

 

It all depends on what is best for you, and what you want.

 

You have posted numerous threads now, and still not said anything about your interests, except having a good time?

 

What do you really want in life, and what is your interests?

 

 

IMO no such thing in LOS. All the ones I visited were ugly, badly planned ( is there such a thing as planning in LOS? ) and had awful traffic.

The only town I liked was Phayao  and even that was a traffic disaster.

The best they can do is have small areas that are nice, eg the White Temple in Chiang Rai, though even that was ruined the last time I visited it.

 

Thailand has many lovely places, but none, IMO, in cities.

 

Whenever I saw a Chinese city on tv I wished Thailand had cities like they do. I even asked a Chinese that used to live there and she said they are as beautiful as those on tv. Even Pattaya can't build a decent waterfront walkway.

14 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Whenever I saw a Chinese city on tv I wished Thailand had cities like they do. I even asked a Chinese that used to live there and she said they are as beautiful as those on tv.

When i talk to Thais, they tell me their cities are as beautiful as those on TV.   I'm confused.  Chinese liking China?   But in China if you like the wrong message or buy alcohol, your social number goes down and then maybe you can't get on a plane.  

 

You hate every Thai city?   That's where the people are.   The great people should outweigh all the negatives.......well, maybe not to some.  if not, that's pretty telling

1 minute ago, Iamfalang said:

When i talk to Thais, they tell me their cities are as beautiful as those on TV.   I'm confused.  Chinese liking China?   But in China if you like the wrong message or buy alcohol, your social number goes down and then maybe you can't get on a plane.  

 

You hate every Thai city?   That's where the people are.   The great people should outweigh all the negatives.......well, maybe not to some.  if not, that's pretty telling

I never said I "hate" any city in Thailand, though I probably hate Patong in particular and Phuket in general.

I spent a great deal of time in Bkk, it's not a great city, being ugly, dirty, much broken, and destroyed by traffic. Nevertheless I had great times there, but never too long. I love Pattaya, but no one could accuse it of being beautiful or even working well for the people that live in it.

The topic was about "best".

 

I never said I wanted to live in China, but they do have beautiful cities.

Too late to edit my previous post, but thanks to google a quick look found a couple of pictures of beautiful Chinese city assets.

 

Why can't Bkk have a river front like that in Shanghai?

 

Ever seen a park like that in the second photo in Thailand? It's Shenshen Bao'an Waterfront park.

 

 

13 hours ago, Grecian said:

are there social groups that are not only about drinking?

Yes. I am part of a very small Bridge club. Also had some fishing companions, although they are no longer here. Their is an expat club (I think it still meets) but overly bureaucratic! Also some bike riders. If you want anything in particular, i suggest you post on Udonmap.com, it is a fairly active forum.

On 8/3/2022 at 11:31 AM, Will B Good said:

Bangkok number one for sure......anything else is a poor imitation of a city.

It used to be true  but with early  closing policies, the removal  of food traders off Sukhumvit Bangkok  became  parochial.  There is only  one cosmopolitan city in Thailand  and  that is Pattaya

Only 2 real cities

CM big town

 

On 8/3/2022 at 1:17 PM, KhunLA said:

Agree, and also a Philly area boy.  Philly actually a small-big city, 5-6 m metro area, I think.

 

Bangkok is great, but yea, it's overkill, and also prefer smaller.  Bigger metros here are 200-500k folks, with a good mix of everything; hosp, shopping, public trans, entertainment ?

 

No real need for a car, if actually in the city.  My problem is, all larger ones in TH, are subject to smog season.  Hat Yai maybe being the exception, though unfamiliar with AQI there.

Pattaya? The most interesting city in Thailand- the most reviled  and most misunderstood.

On 8/2/2022 at 10:24 PM, swissie said:

Amazingly: I am still in contact with Farangs  in "the Sticks", living comfortably on less than 16K Bht/month. "Fringe benefits" cost extra, and cost more than in Pattaya.
It's a matter of "priorities".

I moved to Issan about 17 years ago---after 6-7 years Pattaya/BKK ---

 

swissie if you have friends and they are paying village girls more than you would pay a bar girl in Pattaya --

then they are complete and utter LOONS........

 

Why do you think they head to pattaya

.......once the village girl leaves the village for BKK/Pattaya she takes hell of a drop in wages................I think I have heard it all now.

1 minute ago, sanuk711 said:

I moved to Issan about 17 years ago---after 6-7 years Pattaya/BKK ---

 

swissie if you have friends and they are paying village girls more than you would pay a bar girl in Pattaya --

then they are complete and utter LOONS........

 

Why do you think they head to pattaya

.......once the village girl leaves the village for BKK/Pattaya she takes hell of a drop in wages................I think I have heard it all now.

Correct get double in Patts. Phuket even more.

 

Where in Isaan?

1 hour ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Pattaya? The most interesting city in Thailand- the most reviled  and most misunderstood.

I find BKk interesting.

10 hours ago, sanuk711 said:

I moved to Issan about 17 years ago---after 6-7 years Pattaya/BKK ---

 

swissie if you have friends and they are paying village girls more than you would pay a bar girl in Pattaya --

then they are complete and utter LOONS........

 

Why do you think they head to pattaya

.......once the village girl leaves the village for BKK/Pattaya she takes hell of a drop in wages................I think I have heard it all now.

We farangs are, in many cases, loons. We find someone that can't possibly "love us" as we define "love" and give them land, houses and cars etc, Then we wonder why we end up divorced and broke.

I didn't buy mine any land or houses, but I still ended up broke ie I was a "loon".